Submitted by Judy Leopold, Beth Healey, Jim Healey and Jenny Crumiller

The slow reaction of the international community to the savage fighting in the Darfur region of Sudan, especially the brutal campaign against Darfur's tribal people by the janjaweed militias backing the Sudanese government, has been appalling. Sixteen months have gone by since a United Nations commission of inquiry documented the atrocities being perpetrated in Darfur, yet governments continue to calculate the most expedient political alliances and advantages.

Still, citizen pressure is making a difference. International efforts to halt the killings and mass expulsions in Darfur have made some headway, and intense pressures have pushed the Sudanese government and the largest of three rebel militias to accept a shaky peace agreement -- for which credit needs to be given to the Bush administration (especially Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick), the United Nations, and the African Union, all of whom have worked to put together a peace deal that would stop the terrible killing of the Darfurian people.

With the peace agreement signed, the following actions should be implemented:

1. The UN should immediately establish a UN peacekeeping command, with immediate transfer of existing AU peacekeepers to be under the UN command.
2. The UN should move immediately to recruit troop contingents from other countries — both from developing countries in Africa and Asia and from NATO countries — to expand that peacekeeping force and make it more militarily capable.
3. The United States should announce its willingness to participate in the peacekeeping operation with logistical support units (e.g. helicopter and ground transportation, food service, etc.).
4. Congress should make prompt payment of the US share of the Darfur peacekeeping dues.
5. European governments and the United States government should immediately redouble their financial support for relief supplies, which have all but dried up in recent weeks.

We call upon the Congress and the President to move swiftly on the items that are within their jurisdiction to decide, and to join other countries in pressing for the items that require international action through the United Nations.